The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-01-14
WELLS IN INDIA.
PLACES WHERE THE CASTE Diff.
GUILTY IS QUITE PROMINENT.

Drawing Water One OF the Principa
Duties Of tho Poor Hindoo Wife
Large Wells In Public Thoroughbred
A Strange Story.
From time immemorial, drawing waite,
at the well has been one Of the principa
daily duties of a poor Hindoo wife. In north
ern India wells are generally dag outside
the town or village; wherefrom tho women
old and young (but more often the latter
start twice a day--early in tho morning
and at about a o'clock in the afternoon-tc
fetch water home, carrying earthen vessels
on their head or under one of their arms
Arriving a. the well, they attach the loose
end of the rope that is fastened at ono side
OF its circular mouth to the earthen pitcher
which then they let down into the well.
Tho vessel will hold about six or seven
quarts of water, which is a good weight to
pull up; and the women have to take great
care that the vessel, which comes up with
a swinging motion, does not strike against
the sides of the WE'LL as the least stroke
would dash it to pieces. Sometimes one or
two beams are thrown across the we'll near
the edge, wherein women rest one Of their
feet, throwing on it the weight Of their
whole body. OF course I must be under
stood to describe here the primitive wells
from which water is drawn solely by the
hand. Very often you may see fifteen or
twenty women assembled at well, who,
after having great deal of gossiping, go
homo in groups, balancing their pitchers
fuIl OF water i'll the manner previously de-
scribed; some of them carrying as many as
three such vessels at a time-two on the
head lone on top of another) and the third
under one of the arms.
THE CASTE DIFFICULTY.
The caste difficulty shows itself as promin-
emily at the well as elsewhere. Women of
different castles must not touch each others
vessels. Hindoos Of various sects will not
take water to drink from each other. In
some parts, at the wells where both men
and women draw water, the Brahmins will
use brass or copper vessels belonging to per-
sons OF other castles after scrubbing them
well with dust and water and washing them.
A leather bag need only be washed, for,
having come originally from the tanner.
who is OF very low caste, no further defile-
ment can happen to it. But strict Hin
docs, whether Brahmins or others, will
never drink water that has been drawn in a
leather bag, nor use it for ADDITIONS In
villages where there is but one well persons
OF low caste and outcasts draw water on
one side of it, and when they arc gone Bral-
minis and other superior castles come and
draw water from the other SIDE Where
there are many wells in village it is usual
to set apart special one for people of low
or no castles. A dog or other animal falling
into well defiles it entirely; and, to render
it fit for use again, all the wcter must be
drawn fr IN it at least three times and
Gauges water or cows urine poured into it.
A high caste woman meeting funeral on
her way home with water from a well will
sometimes throw away the water at once as
defiled. The dead body of an animal do
files also; and no water is procurable until
it has been removed from the way to the
well and the ground purified.
Wells are naturally greatly priced in the
arid, hot parts Of India, and many Hindoos
earn great renown by making them where
they are much needed. Some religious peo-
pie seek for merit in the construction of
large wells III public JhorougnfafS ana
other places for the purpose of supplying
travellers with water Very often people
use them for irrigating their fields. A large
well, built Of strong masonry, with a circu- |
~~Af 'AAASNt SAAACCoA pAAUAOI III IOuIlu IL IOr
people to sit on when they draw or drink |
water, costs from 1900 to 5000 rupees.
Even the wants Of the brute creation are
lot overlooked by the Hindoos. They
make reservoirs of strong masonry. about
i've or six yards long and yard wide, adj
dining well, and in the hot season these
~ always kept filled with water. Return
rs from pasture or from the fields in the '
orenoon for repose, and retiring at dusk
or the night, whole droves of cows. bull
ocks, buffaloes, and goats slake their thirst
ERE. Landowners and wealthy men vie
Nth each other in constructing these wells
nd reservoirs; and princes sometimes imi-
ate the example of their opulent subjects.
he average cost of an ordinary we'll has
cen estimated to be about 800 or 400 ru-
ees.
= OBJECTS OF WORSHIP.
Wells have been objects of great endear-
lent with some villagers. Not satisfied
18th wasting time and money in their own
nd their children's marriages and in those
I Idols and trees, they sometimes marry
ellis with great pomp and ceremony. In
'me parts of the country wells are wor-
liped, and votive offerings are often seen
ing near them.
Wells in India were at one time put to
lie most dreadful uses. Wayfarers and
hers were murdered and their bodies
lrown down into them. Criminals were
ten thrown down them, and even at this
~ many horrid deeds are done at the wells
out -of-the-way parts Of India.
Jung Bahadur of Nepal, used to tell !
story about well. A not I'M
mmon mode of execution in Nepal is to .
row the offender down a well. 1t &C. !
rred to young Jung, who was bred amidst S
o intrigues and plots and counterplots of t
g Nepalese court, that it was the fault of g
Q victim if he did not come up again alive c
i'd unhurt; and, in order to test the mat t
and also to be prepared for any case Of
ture emergency, he practiced the art of
mping down wells By and bye it ac-
ally happened that Jung was sentenced by
prince to this punishment. Undis- n
aged, he begged one last favor of his SOW s.
eiSn-that he might be permitted to jump o
So reasonable . request was at once t
anted Surrounded by large number Of g
ople, the prince himself forming one Of Il
3 sightseers Jung went to a well, where, a
king off his superfuous clothes, he crossed n
legs, jumped boldly down, and in N
'ment was lost to the view of the prince
his cOurtierS who assured of the